Suckler cow fertiliser use

[Wjb7030]

I have 220 suckler cows summer calving plus yearlings grazing second summer most of which are finished ,900 commercial ewes,finishing lambs. Use 4 loads of fertiliser between grazing and silage for all livestock

 

[Werzle]

What stocking rates are folks on with cows and calves?

 

[Optimus]

Not put any on grazing ground this year.

Silage ground got 100kg of N and a good blackening with dung.not finished bailing it yet but looks like we'll run out of room for it all.

Had some rain an grazing ground has picked back up again.

Not sure if it was the right thing to do but bought 2 loads of N for next year.

 

[Optimus]

What stocking rates are folks on with cows and calves?

I vary but some will be 1/acre some less but they are all running along side sheep as well.

 

[Highland Mule]

Don’t know how but we’ve got grass and definitely not understocked. But we seem to have had rain this last fortnight when folk 3/4 miles away are dry as a bone. lot of silage aftermaths looking a bad colour after 2nd cut

Drove past your (rough) area today. Is the reservoir at Woodhead usually that low? Looked very dry to me for early summer.

 

[Hilly]

What stocking rates are folks on with cows and calves?

6 acre too the cow

 

[Werzle]

I vary but some will be 1/acre some less but they are all running along side sheep as well.

I always assume 10 ewes eat as much as 1 cowIm just over a cow and calf to the acre before silaging and just under after . Calves are 4-6mths old now so grazing the grass off too.

 

[Chae1]

Will that be about 100k in Fert at current prices

Yeah. Silage blends more than 20k a load.

 

[Optimus]

Im just over a cow and calf to the acre before silaging and just under after . Calves are 4-6mths old now so grazing the grass off too.

We will run short on grass at some point but can use silage grazing if need to.i can move the sheep too so will take the pressure of a bit.

 

[Anymulewilldo]

Drove past your (rough) area today. Is the reservoir at Woodhead usually that low? Looked very dry to me for early summer.

It’s scary how low it is, but they are working up there somewhere too so it might be that one they’ve got drained.

 

[sodbuster]

Averaged about 90 units/acre last year .

Total so far this year 0

Haven't weighed any cattle lately , but I expect low N = low protein = low LWG

We seem to have more clover , and slowly grown grass should be better in vits/mins.

I had 2 fields analyzed 1 with fert 1 without. Both were 22% protein

 

[jamesy]

Just under an acre per cow & calf but there’s roughly a ewe per acre running on the same ground too. More acres will come available as silage aftermaths

 

[Highland Mule]

It’s scary how low it is, but they are working up there somewhere too so it might be that one they’ve got drained.

Some sort of roadworks ongoing I saw, and an artic of Herras fence feet being handballed to another lorry with police in attendance.

As you say, scarily low but maybe not just due to lack of rain.

 

[Anymulewilldo]

Some sort of roadworks ongoing I saw, and an artic of Herras fence feet being handballed to another lorry with police in attendance.

As you say, scarily low but maybe not just due to lack of rain.

What on earth are you doing 400 miles from home anyway? You want to be careful over the woodhead, one end goes to Glossop you know… they still lynch non local people over there!

 

[M-J-G]

Will that be about 100k in Fert at current prices

£250/cow on fertiliser

 

[Highland Mule]

What on earth are you doing 400 miles from home anyway? You want to be careful over the woodhead, one end goes to Glossop you know… they still lynch non local people over there!

Don’t worry - I’m back home now.
Same as you were doing at FW last week

 

[Bill the Bass]

Put 2cwt of K Nitro on 1 third ofthe silage ground, nothing on grazing clover and shire can do the remaining 2 thirds of cutting ground.

Fert is a thing of the past for sucklers now on our place.

 

[Whitepeak]

None
Only spread bedding muck or slurry, here mainly on cutting ground.

Probably understocked as I've 43 cows and calves rotationally grazing approx 70ac. Although I did cut about a quarter of it a fortnight ago. All old permanent pasture, that rarely gets any muck tbh

 

[tinsheet]

None here, FYM only.

 

[Optimus]

None here, FYM only.

What's your silage crop like with no fert? I know I wouldn't have anywhere near as much if I'd just relied on the dung.